Twist
by GeminiGemelo
Summary: In the end, what is a lie? Only a twist: a small imperfection in an otherwise flawless truth. One-shot/drabble.


_**A/N: **_

_Hello again. (: Welcome (or, if you've read my stuff before, welcome back :p). This is another one-shour one-shot: kind of a long one as well again. I'm not quite sure how long it took exactly... I'm not very happy with it, but it's my decent attempt at a diary-style first-person POV... which I thought would be cool to do but ended up being longer than I expected. e.o POV is Scar's, of course (obvious statement is obvious xD). Not surprising for those of you that have read my stuff before. x)_

_Anyways, without further ado, here is One-Hour One-Shot #7: Twist. :D_

* * *

Day I

* * *

I killed Mufasa. Yes, _me_. I almost can't believe it. After all these years, as well—he never saw it coming… If only he inherited some sense from our father. His brute strength got him nothing! All those years of being taught to rule—nothing! I'll show them what it really means to rule. To the end with his weak resolve; it's time for my golden era to come forth!

But what am I saying? Everything has aligned itself so perfectly… I'm still doubtful that this isn't a dream. It's just too good to be true. You should have seen the look on his face when I threw him off into the stampede Banzai started. Pathetic, really. And then Simba came down, bawling like a little baby. Now he's dead in the Elephant Graveyard somewhere… hmm, I suppose that wasn't exactly necessary, but at least he's out of my hair.

Lionesses were another matter, but the problem was easily solved. Threw in a few fake tears and a speech I'd made a few days before—quite emotional, if I may say so myself. Nala in particular worried me, seeing her cry like that. She may be little, but it still pains me to see her so depressed. Especially near her mother. I know it's been years since we were together, but Sarafina is still a beauty to look at. Someday she will be my queen. I know it.

Day XVII

* * *

Still can't believe I have my own kingdom to rule—being king is the best. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want… and everyone else _actually_ listens to me. I finally feel like others can appreciate my genius. It's probably only due to the absence of that stupid brother of mine, but what can I say? It was less than a month ago when they lost their _oh-so-beloved _king. They'll forget him soon enough—I simply need to be patient.

Well, I suppose his mate, Sarabi, has been acting a little strange lately. She doesn't seem to be coping… at all. She spoke some words to me just yesterday—some nonsense about not upsetting the Great Kings of the Past and following in Mufasa's footsteps and all that. She clearly doesn't understand that this regime is going to be different, and I will not quibble with her over trivial and unimportant matters. But, since she was grieving, I gave her some space. However, the kingdom can and will continue without her. In the meantime, she needs to focus on the hunt tomorrow.

Shenzi also spoke to me today. Apparently the fact that I am not barring hyena kind access to the Pridelands is a big deal. She suggested we throw a party—a good idea, I must say. So she rounded up the pack and they killed some animals. Not sure how many. Probably a lot. I had all of my hyenas and my lionesses feast together. Lionesses didn't seem thrilled, but they didn't have to hunt today… so they really shouldn't complain.

Day XXXII

* * *

Stayed alone in the cave most of today. Wasn't much to do, so I slept. Some hyenas were yelling outside… kind of distracting, but I couldn't do anything practical about it. I decided to have Zazu sing for me, so that maybe the atmosphere wouldn't be so loud and obnoxious. He seemed… resistant, though he didn't actually say anything to me about it. To be honest, he actually isn't bad. Now I know why… _Mufasa_… had him sing those morning reports.

Mufasa. Ugh. Had a dream about him last night in the antelope stampede. That was probably one of the best moments of my life, yet… dreaming of Mufasa reminds me of the fact that I could wake up from this at any moment; wake up and have _him _be king again, while I get cast to the shadows. I don't know how I lived all those years. But he's gone for good, and that's all that matters.

Looked over my kingdom for a while as well. Land seems to be doing pretty well… being king is not as hard as Mu—or father—made it out to be. Another hyena came up to me today and personally thanked me in front of the pride. Lionesses didn't seem enthralled, though that is nothing new. Soon they will quit living in the past and accept that my brother is gone. In the meantime, I am still waiting for that day.

Day IL

* * *

Another boring and uneventful day—and the lionesses were moping around as always. Tried to get them focused for the hunt, but they seemed unenthusiastic. This is getting very old! When will they learn? _MUFASA _is dead… But, as always, I decided to _actually _do something about it. So I passed a decree. That name… that cursed, evil, _vile_ name… is _never _to be spoken in the Pridelands. Never. I've been nice up to this point, but I need to put my paw down sooner or later. They have to know that these things will not be tolerated. From here on out that name signifies nothing less than treason, which, under _my_ rule, will be dealt with in all seriousness.

The lionesses didn't catch much to eat today, but I'm not very surprised. For one thing, their attitude is absolutely abhorrent, as I've already mentioned. And on the other hand, it is nearing the end of the dry season. Admittedly, it hasn't been bad for a dry season, but when the wet season comes, there will be enough water and food for the Pridelands' growing populace—both leonine and hyena. _Some _individuals, however, don't appear to be intelligent enough to grasp this idea. Sarabi, as always, remains a critic.

I'm not sure what exactly I'm supposed to be doing that is _so _important. There isn't much to being king—really, there isn't. I patrolled the borders (no visitors, as usual), and then made sure the lionesses went away to the hunt. Not much to do after that, other than making sure that my subjects obeyed my orders… which they usually do, for the most part. So I don't see why they are complaining. Perhaps it's because I let the hyenas in, though the whole fact that they were exiled had to do with the stupid and capricious rule of my father. Oh well. They'll forget about it soon enough.

Day LXV

* * *

Caught a quarrel today shortly after I woke up. Lioness and hyena. Ugh. Had to kind of mediate, and by "mediate" I mean forcefully pull them apart. Accidently got bitten in the shoulder as well… at least, I assume it was an accident. But there can be no doubts when it comes to this sort of unrest. This place will _not _be an anarchy. They needed to know that I do not—_will not_—tolerate such behavior. So I made an example of them. I thought that their punishment was barely fitting, considering the circumstances, though I caught several of the crowd looking at me skeptically. No one directly spoke to me about it, however.

I still don't know what they were arguing about, and in retrospect I should have asked. Zazu told me not to worry. I'm not sure if he's just kissing up to me or if he really means it. Needless to say, there was actually a little bit of added stress on me today. When I asked him to sing for me again, he refused. Refused! He should be _honored _to be able to serve his ruler—as a majordomo no less! But I put him in his rightful place, merely by reminding him that he could be fired at any moment. His reaction was… well, mixed. Don't understand who taught him to sing so well. Maybe it's a bird thing.

I patrolled a little late because of all this, because of their sub-par behavior. Someone could have attacked the pride because of their insolence, a point which I tried to press on them before I left. Nothing interesting though, as usual, except I heard some wild dogs barking to the north—rather odd. Other than that, a buffalo getting attacked by an alligator was the only thing that caught my attention in the slightest. He screamed out to me for help, but I declined because I didn't exactly have time for the petty problems of the lesser animals. Besides, isn't that what the "Circle of Life" (or whatever it's called—I never listened to my father's strange teachings) is all about?

Day LXXXI

* * *

According to Rafiki, yesterday was the first day of the wet season. What a load of hippo dung. Not a _cloud _in the sky. I informed him that his estimates were clearly off, but he assured me that he'd been a shaman for years and that he had his ways of knowing which season was wet and which was dry. But that's ridiculous—_I _could do that, and I don't claim to be some wise shaman baboon leader. He told me that perhaps I've done something wrong and angered some entity or other. Not that I care. I can't control the weather, so I don't see how it's my problem. Maybe the rain is a few days late.

For the lionesses, though, it was a different story. They all seem to think that the apocalypse is coming or something thereabouts. It was very fortuitous circumstances that I was present at all; otherwise, the situation surely would have collapsed into pure mayhem. The lionesses need to remember that all is still well and the pride is living—no, thriving—because of me! But, of course, they fail to recognize my leading talent at its full value. The rain _will _come; I am sure of it. My reign will not be abated because of their folly.

Something else happened today—something very strange. I was walking along the ledge, looking for something to do, when I saw a figure in front of me. At first I merely brushed it off, thinking it was a lioness, but then... Well, it sounds impossible, but I could have _sworn _it was Mu—my brother… looking at me with this austere, solemn expression on his face. Understandably, I was scared out of my wits, but when I looked back, it was only Shenzi, coming to tell me something—I don't remember what. Still, can't seem to shake these strange feelings… Am I seeing things?

Day XCIII

* * *

Felt sick this morning. Not quite sure why—I didn't even bother to leave the den today. Zazu was hesitant to go near me, for whatever reason, so I stuck him behind some antelope bones I found. Definitely an off day… though perhaps it was the dream I had last night—Mufasa being thrown into the gorge again. Wait, did I just say my brother's name? Oh well, there's no point in trying to hide it. For whatever reason, I can't stop thinking about it… can't stop having that dream. Yet this one was different. After I threw him into the gorge, Shenzi was there… and hundreds of other hyenas. Glowing red eyes. Sharp teeth. Malicious demeanors. It seemed somewhat foreboding. In fact, just thinking about the whole thing still sends a chill up my spine.

Speaking of which, Shenzi visited as well today. Apparently she was concerned about the rain. It still hasn't come yet and there are no clouds in sight as far as I can see. But really, what is the worst that can happen? All she needs is patience—I didn't become king in a day, now, did I? If there is anyone who knows that other than me, then it would have to be her. She seemed a little miffed, but at least the hyenas aren't like the lionesses. Sarabi has stopped by and berated me for the past four days about one trivial matter or another. Today, apparently, the huntresses went to their prime hunting spot and it was less populated than usual by their quarry. The way she phrased it, however, made it seem like a catastrophe in the making.

I personally think she is making some sort of conspiracy against me because she clearly prefers _Mufasa_—making me and the huntresses believe there is a difference! The land is doing fine! All of this is becoming clearly inflammatory. It seems as though I need to punish someone or teach them a lesson, yet I can't find any explicit illicit activities to reprimand them for. Yet I know something is going on—they are resisting me and my will. They have yet to realize that, as the King of Pride Rock, what I say goes. The days of Mufasa are over. My brother is dead! Sometime I'm going to have to put my paw down. It's only a matter of time, because my patience is wearing thin.

Day CVII

* * *

I would like to say that all has been mundane matters as usual, but it hasn't been. During one of my crepuscular patrols I stopped at the water hole for a drink, and _he was there again_. Mufasa. For about ten seconds—I could have sworn I saw him, as a sort of surreal flash of yellow accented with red. I knew—_believed_—it was him. Yet when I looked away, I realized it was only a buffalo stopping to quench his thirst. But after he saw me, he panicked. I panicked. I don't know what happened… I zoned out, and when I came back to consciousness, so to speak, the buffalo was dead at my feet and I was bleeding. Something is wrong with me. I know it… and that's what scares me the most.

Had the nightmare again, with the hyenas and all. I used to enjoy the gorge dreams, but now they terrify me—I woke up sweating, and apparently Zazu advised me to see Rafiki. What a good-for-nothing, self-righteous rabble-rouser! How dare anyone else insinuate that anything is wrong? Whether I'm sane or not is none of his business! None! But, in all seriousness, things are getting horribly monotonous around here. Being king isn't quite the way I thought it would be… at least, the way it had been for _Mufasa_. They don't understand me, my genius, or my regime. I deserve to have just the same—I deserve their respect. But it's always the same… I don't know. Maybe I'm just lonely up here in the den, with nothing in my control and little for me to do.

Rain still hasn't come; in fact, the sun is pelting us all even more than it had in the dry season. Rafiki said it must be a drought. Ridiculous. It's much too early to assume such gloomy things. Of course, under my brother, it'd be rainbows and sunshine… I don't know what to do. And it's all their fault! I was never taught how to deal with this. I just wish that things would turn out the way I wanted them to for once…

Day CXX

* * *

I'm tired and I feel horrible. Things have been going abysmally lately, and to make things worse, Sarafina paid me an unexpected visit. She seemed genuinely concerned, unlike most of the other lionesses. I'm not sure whether I should feel gratuitous or greatly irritated. We talked for a while, and of course, Mufasa came up somewhere along the line. Knowing her, she didn't mean it in an offensive way—she was just reminiscing on our mutual cubhood together. I told her his death hurt me deeply. It doesn't. But it was a good little lie, a little twist of the truth—and she swallowed it completely. Clearly, she still trusts me, despite that fact that she doesn't love me anymore. Nala is proof of that. There's no going back.

Don't remember much of what happened after that. There was something else she said that upset me—as much as I didn't mean to scare her, I recall that there was much screaming and arguing. I… wasn't myself… and before I knew it she was gone. Part of me wonders if she is going to come back. I still feel lonely… so lonely up here… I need a queen. Someone to love me. I thought that being king would beget that satisfaction; perhaps it did for a short while, but now I see I need something more. I want to be seen for the special being I am.

Still no rain, and today there was nothing to eat. Second day in a row the lionesses have come back empty-handed. There seems to be an increasing amount of tension between Sarabi and I—she seemed to hint that I was the cause of their failure. I'm not sure whether or not I should believe there even is a problem. They could be overly incompetent, or they could be making us suffer in order to make me look bad. That is _exactly _something they would do! They hate me; I know they do. It's because of Mufasa. It's _his fault! _It's _all _his fault!

Day CXXXVIII

* * *

Still no food, for the fifth day in a row. Probably has something to do with the wildfire that just burned through the land. Rafiki incessantly insists that it was because of the lack of rain: something I can't control, but which they will no doubt blame me for. Also made Zira, one of my few lionesses supporters, a guard… placed her outside my den in case of a regicide attempt. It seems only natural that any envious or spiteful individual—nearly all of them, probably—would kill me for the throne. And I can't trust any of those hyenas, either. Even they have begun to complain. Of course, I keep having the same nightmare every night, except the hyenas keep getting closer and closer. And the image of Mufasa is practically burning itself into my brain. Apparently Zazu keeps commenting on my behavior, but I don't know what to say. I'm beginning to think he's right.

Shenzi came again, but I didn't want to see her or her smug little companions. The stupid one, Ed, especially scares me. I've known the three of them since we were all young, but for the first time I feel genuinely afraid around them. There's something inherently vicious about them, especially now, since they say I'm not giving them everything I promised. I said I was trying my best—another lie, since there is little I can do about this sudden food problem. Mufasa came up somehow in conversation.

The next thing I knew she was running out of the cave with a concerned look on her features. I keep blinking out at times like these… something must be wrong with me. I want it to end. I don't know what to do; being king isn't like I expected—nor is it what I deserved. I know they hate me. I know they're all out there, waiting… Still feel like I need a queen, but since most of the lionesses are inherently untrustworthy and unworthy, I feel like I'm caught in a stalemate.

Day CLVI

* * *

Today was strange… or was it yesterday? I can't say for certain; I watched the sunrise one morning, but I don't know if that was twelve hours or a day and a half ago. It is hard for me to determine trivial things like this, and thinking about them at length will only give me another headache… I dozed through most of the day, and no one bothered to wake me up—not even Zazu. I don't know if they are keeping to themselves with a sinister plot in mind or if they are moping about my great brother's death after all this time. Probably both, knowing them. They hate me. I know they hate me—all of them. Except for Zira, who patrolled the den silently.

I just want this to end… another day with almost no food, and nothing for me to do. I pretended to patrol the borders, though the "border" itself is hard to define and there is hardly any activity there anyways. The kingdom isn't what it used to be… but what can I do about it? I can't control the weather! How things were so perfect for that _cursed _brother of mine is beyond me… I wish he never existed. Now he's showing up everywhere. In my nightmares he doesn't always die anymore, and the hyenas have begun to attack me in them as well. Blood everywhere. _My_ blood. I just know that something horrible is going to happen, and soon. I can't take much more of this. Too much pressure and stress. And even when I'm awake, my brother is still there. Every shadow has his appearance, every voice sounds like his voice, every flicker of light has me practically shaking and writhing on the ground. It's too much. _I can't take it anymore! _

Then, of course, Nala showed up… which only complicated things. She was making some hackneyed comment about the herds leaving. Perhaps they sent her up to talk to me… I'm not sure. But I did want some company besides Zazu. I was lonely. I still needed a queen—perhaps that's why I did it. All I remember was her scratching my face. My body was on top of hers. She's so much younger… it's not right. But I can't control anything—and, worst of all, I can't control myself. Not anymore. These thoughts, these feelings, these desires… I can't hold them anymore. It's only a matter of time before I break.

Day CLXX

* * *

I killed Mufasa and Simba. I killed _both_ of them. That's the only thing that makes me feel better—or do I feel better at all? Of course I do. They deserved to die, so I could take the throne and live the life I do. The grand, horrible life I do. It was all necessary for the process to work. What am I saying? I'm perfectly fine. As long as no one else knows about it… or perhaps that's the only catch. Shenzi knows, and the hyenas know. But everyone else thinks he died solely because of the stampede. Perhaps I would have thought that too, if it weren't for the constant reminders. I feel like if I have another nightmare, I'm simply going to scream out the truth to anyone around when I wake up. And, of course, they are all around—except for Nala, who has mysteriously disappeared. Waiting, watching… hoping I'll make a mistake. And if they know about my secret, well… that ruins whatever chances I have.

I'm still wary about the hyenas, of course, and I try to avoid them wherever possible. Yet that only seems to encourage them more. They're constantly complaining now. And while they used to thank me, now they only shun me and walk away. Typically they cite the half-hearted promises I made to them a long time ago. I barely even remember what they were, but they recall like it was yesterday, which only causes more complaining. Hyenas hold grudges—another reason to be afraid of them. I'm not sure what I should do about them—or about anything in general. Still no rain, no food, more complaints, and an empty border. I hate it here; I really do. Trying to put my paw down has only resulted in more unrest. Every time I strive to control a situation, it only plummets more out of control. And then—

Wait, I hear something outside… Perhaps the hunting party is back. Finally. They probably haven't caught anything again. I know they're up to something. Had it been Mufasa they would have returned with a feast. Rafiki will berate me over something, and then the complaining will come in torrents. I can't take it… but I'll do what I can—even if it means chastising Sarabi.

* * *

_Of course, we all know what happened after that. xD So... like it? Dislike it? Usual deal here: "R&R, leave a thought-don't care if it's flame or not." :p_

_See you next week!_

_-Twin out (;_


End file.
